Young people 3D Dong Ho paintings

Opening new paths for heritage

The “New Dong Ho” group consists of 5 members: Luu Thuy Nguyen, Pham Thi Le Dung, Nguyen Pham Thu Trang, Tran Thi Thuy Trang and Vu Huy Hoang. They are all students of the Faculty of Interior Design, Hanoi University of Architecture and are all very young.

According to the group leader Luu Thuy Nguyen, the group's project "3D Dong Ho paintings" originated from a scientific research topic with the content of exploiting the traditional value of folk paintings into modern home interiors. When looking for solutions after the research process, the instructor, Associate Professor, Dr. Vu Hong Cuong, suggested to the members the idea of ​​transforming Dong Ho paintings, turning 2D paintings into 3D statues for application in modern home interiors.

“So the group began to learn more, starting with Dong Ho paintings as well as 3D printing technology. When coming into contact with Dong Ho paintings, our group was surprised and impressed by the very special rough Do paper material as well as the sparkling shell. Dong Ho paintings have simple, rustic shapes, but when we study them closely, we see that the ancestors put a lot of care into them, the animals are funny, lively and the colors are very natural and bright” - young person Pham Thi Le Dung said.

The "New Dong Ho" group won second prize in the 6th national "Students with startup ideas" contest.

Very quickly after that, along with the project "New Dong Ho - 3D Dong Ho statue souvenir set and statue painting set" was born, the "New Dong Ho" group was also established. Since September 2023, the group has traveled back and forth to Dong Ho painting village many times, met artisans, directly experienced the painting making process, and learned about the heritage.

With the guidance of artisan Nguyen Huu Qua, the young people gradually understand more about the ancient way of making paintings, "absorbing" the delicate art of this genre. However, the group also sees one thing more clearly: Dong Ho paintings are at risk of being lost, because the aesthetic needs as well as the living space of the people have changed too much.

“It is called a painting village but now there are only a few households making paintings. As young people, we realize the need to preserve, maintain and promote the value of this heritage. From that thought, the “New Dong Ho” group aims to find a new path, so that the soul of Dong Ho folklore can be more widely present in life” - young person Pham Thi Le Dung said.

3D product adapted from the painting "The buffalo herder plays the flute" of Dong Ho painting

Despite their determination, difficulties continued to “reveal” when they started working. The most difficult problem for the group was how to imagine the back of the painting; how the other side of each cat, mouse, buffalo, etc. should be shaped and patterned. Because when looking at a 2D painting, you can only see the front, while on a 3D product, you have to show all sides and all nuances of the object in the painting.

“The pressure is quite high because sometimes we do not have enough knowledge and confidence to translate the spirit of Dong Ho paintings into 3D products. The members debate a lot. The designed products look good but when they are made, they are not as expected and many have to be discarded” - young person Nguyen Pham Thu Trang shared more.

Desire for folk paintings to blend with modern life

After nearly a year, the project has produced 8 products adapted from Dong Ho paintings. In May 2024, surpassing hundreds of projects from more than 200 universities and colleges, the product of the “New Dong Ho” group won second prize in the 6th national “Students with Startup Ideas” contest.

The Organizing Committee of the competition assessed that these products belong to the group of businesses that create social impact; not only contributing to preserving and spreading the beauty and traditional artistic values ​​of Dong Ho folk paintings but also bringing a set of interior decoration products imbued with Vietnamese culture.

The project also contributes to the development of the market for interior decoration and souvenirs of domestic origin, creating jobs for art students, manual laborers and some groups of people with disabilities in society. The project is feasible, when in the market there are very few product lines that meet the needs of quality and aesthetics in interior decoration with pure Vietnamese culture.

3D product “Mouse Wedding”

According to Dr. Pham Dinh Khue - Head of Student Affairs Department - Hanoi University of Architecture, the new Dong Ho group has had initial success in creating creative products, connecting the profession with the social environment. In the future, the school will continue to support students in perfecting their products as well as registering copyrights for commercialization in the market.

“This is the right direction. We have seen that Russians have a very famous set of dolls as gifts for foreign tourists, or tourists to Singapore often buy lion statues as gifts, to Malaysia buy twin towers as gifts... If this 3D Dong Ho painting product is invested to become a souvenir product like that, besides the economic value it brings, the value of promoting Vietnamese culture will also be very large. In addition, in a modern house, turning 2D paintings into 3D decorative products will bring traditional culture in harmony with modern living space" - Dr. Khue expects.

Mr. Khue added that this product will target many customer groups; plastic can be replaced with metal, wood, or stone; and can be gold-plated at a price suitable for many customers. The product is also aimed at children, when instead of letting them paint on robots, models of Princess Elsa or Spiderman... they will have the opportunity to become more familiar with purely Vietnamese cultural images.

Teachers and students of the "New Dong Ho" group discuss the project

“This product lays the foundation for students to start a business by developing their future careers. Fortunately, during the competition, there were people who came to order the product to decorate their homes. After the competition, we continued to receive many requests for purchases and cooperation to expand production and commercialize the product. However, although we have set a development direction, we still want students to determine that they must continue to improve and diversify their products. When the product is released to the market, it must be sophisticated, beautiful and suitable for modern life” - Dr. Pham Dinh Khue shared.

The Vu

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/gioi-tre-3d-hoa-tranh-dong-ho-post303882.html